What Will Brexit Mean For Data Compliance?
As the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) nears its 18 month anniversary, recent research conducted by software supplier Egress have revealed that only 48% of UK businesses are fully compliant with the rules. Organisations had taken their GDPR compliance seriously in the lead up to the May 2018 deadline, but activity started to drop off […]
SWW Annual Conference 2019
Time is running out to book your place at The Society of Will Writers Annual Conference and spaces are filling up fast! This year’s event takes place on the 7th and 8th of October at The Hilton East Midlands Airport. Based on feedback from previous years we searched for a new venue, opting for the […]
Dementia And The Benefits Of A Lasting Power Of Attorney
What is an Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)? An LPA covers decisions about your financial affairs, or your health and care. It comes in effect if you lose mental capacity, or if you no longer want to make decisions for yourself. You would set up an LPA if you want to make sure you’re covered […]
Lasting Power Of Attorney Refund Scheme Loses Momentum
Less than a quarter of those entitled to a claim a refund from the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) refund scheme have been refunded their over payment. Up to 16th September, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) had handled 223,759 refunds with 84% of all applications approved and refunded, according to a freedom of […]
Countrywide Legacy Sponsors Solicitor Firm of the Year
Countrywide Legacy is delighted to be a part of the second upcoming prestigious British Wills and Probate Awards, which is brought to you by Today’s Wills and Probate, alongside headline sponsor, Arken.legal (UK) Ltd, a leader in software solutions for the legal services. Providing innovative bespoke legal document drafting software throughout the UK, Countrywide Legacy […]
Is There An Increase In Attorneys Abusing Their Clients’ Finances?
Figures released recently by the Office of the Public Guardian (England and Wales) (OPG) showed reports of concern at a higher level than ever before, and specifically, more claims than ever before about attorneys abusing their donor’s finances. The reflex conclusion is – there is an increase in the amount of abuse, but is this […]
Introducing The Autumn Edition Of Entitlement From Title Research
The autumn edition of Entitlement, Title Research’s quarterly news digest, is now available for legal professionals to download completely free of charge. Entitlement is a digital magazine produced by the genealogy and asset repatriation specialists, Title Research. It is released every quarter and features informative and insightful articles, all written by experts in the legal […]
Co-op’s H1 Profits Increase Despite Declining Funeral Sales
The Co-operative Groups interim results for the opening half of 2019 highlight significant growth despite the fall in Funeral revenue. Between January and June 2019, the Co-op’s Funeral and Life Planning sales fell by 6% to £163 million. The Co-op attribute the declining sales to an unexpected 10% fall in the death rate and their […]
The Practicalities of Paying Inheritance Tax
The payment of Inheritance Tax on estates would appear to be a growing problem for Personal Representatives. In 2009/10, just 2.7% of estates were subject to Inheritance Tax, whereas in 2015/16, this had risen to 4.2% of estates. (Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/730125/Table_12_3.pdf) Any impact that the introduction of the Residence Nil Rate Band has had on the […]
An Increase In Client Demand Leads Arken To Add Advance Decisions To Its Document Generating Software
Whereas a Will enables people to make express decisions to let other people administer their property after they have died, sometimes it is desirable to give binding instructions while still living in order to establish in advance control of what will happen in relation to property or physical care should mental or physical capacity become […]
How To Increase Your Funeral Plan Sales In 3 Easy Steps
Tom Stansfield – Fortis Law Businesses and their owners all have key objectives. Most are concerned with their bottom line, making profit, and just as importantly helping our clients by providing good customer service and solutions to legal problems. Funeral plans can be a great solution for many clients but are overlooked by many estate […]
Stepping Into The Role Of Parent
Blended families and step parents are an increasingly common aspect of modern family life. In some families, a step parent can be the only psychological or “real” parent a child has ever known. Even though they may have no biological or legal relationship to the child, step parents and step children often form stable, continuous […]
Bitcoin Prospector Owes $5 Billion To Deceased Business Partner’s Estate
A Bitcoin prospector, who became a billionaire following his involvement in cryptocurrency during the early stages of its life, has been forced to pay $5 billion to his deceased business partner’s estate. Craig Wright, self-proclaimed co-inventor of Bitcoin, has been ordered to give half of his Bitcoin assets to the estate of his late business […]
Lawyer Checker Further Strengthens Senior Management Team
The Practical Vision Network, home of the award-winning Lawyer Checker suite of risk management tools, has announced a further appointment to its senior management team to further strengthen the business. Financial Controller Ceri Hart joins from regional accountancy specialists Bennett Brooks having been a key part of the Solicitors Accounts auditing team. Coming hot on […]
Scarle v Scarle – who died first?
Judgement was handed down in the case of Scarle v Scarle HC-2017-002117 on 13th August 2019. The bodies of John and Marjorie Scarle were found at their home address on 11 October 2016. It was a second marriage for both of them. John had a daughter, Anna, and Marjorie had a daughter, Deborah from previous relationships. […]
Title Research launches new estate administration timeline guide
Genealogical research and asset repatriation specialists, Title Research, are pleased to launch a brand new guide about the estate administration timeline and how outsourcing specialist tasks to professionals can help. If you’ve dealt with any estate administration case in the past, you’ll know that the process can be lengthy and complicated at stages. The estate administration […]
Bank Of Mum And Dad Lending Putting Strain On Retirement Plans
The Bank of Mum and Dad (BoMaD) are now the 11th largest mortgage lender in the UK, eclipsing the Help to Buy schemes in helping younger buyers gain a foothold on the property ladder. In total, the BoMaD will lend almost £70 billion to potential homeowners this year, a 10% increase on 2018 despite the […]
HMCTS Claim Probate Backlogs Are Reducing Despite Applicant Errors
HM Courts and Tribunals representatives have claimed the probate application backlogs are under control in a recent blog review of the current problematic situation. The current waiting times were said to be between six and eight weeks for a fully completed, processed and returned application. To combat the backlog of an average excess of more […]
Locating Missing Beneficiaries In Estate Administration
During the estate administration process, it’s becoming more common to come across missing or unknown beneficiaries. This is due to family dynamics becoming more complex as people lose touch and divisions occur. You could come across a beneficiary who is unfamiliar to the deceased’s loved ones or an heir whose whereabouts may not be known. […]
Who died first? When the date of death matters (Part 1)
In June the High Court heard a dispute between two step-sisters who have asked the court to decide which of their parents died first. This unusual case concerns the affairs of married couple John and Anne Scarle who tragically died at home from hypothermia in October 2016 but were not found until around a week […]
